Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Line: Colne Valley

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 21 October (HL2420), what is the source ofcontaminated water that has been identified in the cofferdams and necessitated an application to vary the Water Treatment Plant Permit.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The water within the cofferdams comes from lake water ingress through the sides and base of the cofferdams. The quality of this water is affected by interaction with lakebed sediments and the concrete plug in the base of the cofferdam while it cures. It is this water that is tested, pumped out, and may require treatment before it is of a quality to be returned to the Colne catchment. This water treatment, via the Water Treatment Plant, required a variation to the permit. The piling for the Colne Valley Viaduct is largely complete and the extensive monitoring of groundwater around all piling works and cofferdams has detected no contamination issues in the water environment related to construction works within the Colne Valley.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Northern Ireland

Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government (1) when, and (2) by which mechanisms, households in Northern Ireland will receive financial assistance with their energy bills.

Lord Callanan: The Energy Price Guarantee will save a typical British household around £700 this winter. This is on top of existing government plans to give all households £400 off their energy bills through the Energy Bill Support Scheme. A comparable scheme to the Energy Bill Support Scheme is being developed to deliver £400 to households in Northern Ireland. Details of how this will run will be announced in the coming weeks and payments will be backdated to October. The government is working with electricity suppliers to explore how the £100 Alternative Fuel payment could be delivered to homes in NI that use alternative fuels for heating, such as heating oil or LPG, instead of mains gas via electricity bills under a similar delivery model.

OneWeb: Satellites

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government whether some OneWeb satellites are now in Russian military custody; what the implications of this are for the security of the rest of OneWeb’s constellation; and whether they have undertaken a wider appraisal of the security implications for the UK more broadly.

Lord Callanan: The security of OneWeb assets is a commercially sensitive matter for the company. HMG conduct security assessments on all UK licensed space systems to ensure matters of national security are appropriately considered and managed.

Fracking

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their current policy on fracking; and whether the UK moratorium on fracking is still in place.

Lord Callanan: The Government supports the core ambitions set out in the 2019 manifesto and will therefore revert to a precautionary approach and only support shale gas exploration if it can be done in a way that is sustainable and protects local communities. The Government has confirmed that it will adopt a presumption against issuing further hydraulic fracturing consents. We will be led by the evidence on whether this form of exploration can be done in a way which acceptably manages the risk to local communities.

Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill: Sunset Clauses

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 24 October (HL2423), what proportion of respondents to their informal consultations onthe Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill favoured a sunset clause for all existing EU legislation of December 2023.

Lord Callanan: The information requested is not held centrally.

Energy Prices Bill: King's Consent

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord True on 25 October (HL Deb cols 1393–4), whether clauses 16 and 19 of the Energy Prices Bill refer to the King's (1) public, or (2) private, activities in respect of energy generation.

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord True on 25 October (HL Deb cols 1393–4), what changes, if any, were agreed as a result of a consultation with the King on clauses 16 and 19 of the Energy Prices Bill.

Lord Callanan: King's consent was requested in relation to Clauses 16 and 19 of the Energy Prices Bill. These clauses could affect the Duchy of Lancaster or the Duchy of Cornwall or the personal property or interests of the Crown. No changes were made as a result of the process of obtaining King’s consent.

Audit: Reform

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made with the draft Audit Reform Bill; what resources they have allocated to drafting the bill; and when they expect to consult stakeholders on a draft of the bill.

Lord Callanan: Work is continuing towards a draft Bill on reform of audit and corporate governance, for publication in due course.

Department of Health and Social Care

Evusheld

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the report RAPID C-19 Oversight Group report: review of Evusheld by the RAPID C-19 Oversight Group, published on 6 October, whether they will (1) consult a wider group with more diverse viewpoints and expertise to make a recommendation on the efficacy of Evusheld, and (2) engage other committees with expertise like SAGE and the JCVI on this treatment.

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the report RAPID C-19 Oversight Group report: review of Evusheld by the RAPID C-19 Oversight Group, published on 6 October, why (1) SAGE, and (2) the JCVI, were not consulted on the decision on whether to purchase Evusheld.

Lord Markham: There are no plans to consult with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation or the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies as these bodies do not have a remit on decisions on new treatments. RAPID C-19 consists of scientific experts, including clinicians, pharmacists, evidence assessors and researchers, who provide independent clinical advice to the Chief Medical Officer for England. RAPID C-19’s expertise is related to the organisations represented, which include the main healthcare agencies involved in decisions on research, regulation, and introducing new treatments into the National Health Service. NHS England created a national expert working group (EWG) to support development of a national clinical policy, with a focus on clinical effectiveness and eligibility criteria. The EWG is chaired by a senior NHS representative and the membership includes national experts, frontline clinicians and involves officials from the devolved administrations. The EWG has also considered emerging prophylactic agents and its members have specific expertise in immunology and virology. RAPID C-19 was also advised by the independent COVID-19 Prophylaxis Oversight Group, which is chaired by an expert on infectious diseases and clinical trials.

Medical Treatments

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to support patient access to new Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs).

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the suitability of their confidential commercial access agreement process for Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs).

Lord Markham: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on whether all new medicines, including advanced therapeutic medicinal products (ATMPs), should be routinely funded by the National Health Service based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness. The NHS is legally required to fund those medicines which NICE recommends. NICE has recommended the majority of the ATMPs evaluated to date, often following commercial agreements negotiated by NHS England and manufacturers. The Innovative Medicines Fund launched earlier this year and the existing Cancer Drugs Fund also support early patient access to ATMPs while further evidence is collected to address clinical uncertainty.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that healthcare providers administering COVID-19 vaccines have access to the full portfolio of vaccines purchased by the Government and available in the UK.

Lord Markham: In the United Kingdom, the COVID-19 vaccines currently in use have been authorised by the independent regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority. The majority of people will be offered a vaccine manufactured by Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna. However, for those clinically intolerant to these MRNA vaccines, the Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Novavax is also available. All vaccination centres order supplies according to anticipated requirements. NHS England has asked regional teams to nominate sites in England to administer the Nuvaxovid vaccine.

Vaccination

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask His Majesty's Government whatis the (1) process, and (2) timeline, for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to issue advice for use of newly MHRA-approved vaccines.

Lord Markham: Following the authorisation of a vaccine by Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) can consider its use in an immunisation programme, following an official request from the Department or independently with an intent to review a possible improvement to public health. The timetable for such consideration is dependent on factors including the current burden of disease to the population, whether an effective vaccine is already available and the amount of evidence available at the time. In order to issue evidence-based advice on the use of a particular vaccine, data on disease epidemiology, vaccine safety and efficacy will be required. Additional analysis including modelling or cost-effectiveness may also be necessary. The vaccine will either be discussed in an forthcoming scheduled meeting or in the case of a public health emergency, an extraordinary meeting may be arranged. These meetings may result in new or updated advice being issued by the JCVI and provided to the Government to inform, develop and make policy.

Human Embryo Experiments

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Markham on 28 October (HL2572), whether the Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority intends to consult the general public regarding (1) additional techniques that aim to replace mitochondria in embryos, (2) embryonic genome-editing techniques that are not currently considered to be ready for clinical use, or (3) extending the 14-day limit for embryo research; and, if so, what steps they have taken to inform the public of any such consultations.

Lord Markham: The Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee is an advisory committee of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and therefore has no plans to consult the general public on these issues.

NHS: Finance

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the NHS England (1) capital allocation, and (2) capital spend, for the financial years (a) 2019–20, (b) 2020–21, and (c) 2021–22, on (i) acute hospitals, (ii) primary care and community health services, and (iii) mental health services.

Lord Markham: The Department’s capital allocated by HM Treasury for the National Health Service is shown in the following table. 2019/202020/21NHS England£260,000,000£365,000,000NHS Providers Capital Budget£4,572,000,000£7,145,000,000 NHS England’s spend in 2019/20 was £255 million and £331 million in 2020/21.The information on acute hospitals, primary care, community health and mental health services is not held in the format requested. However, the following table shows spend in NHS acute, mental health and community health trusts in 2019/20 and 2020/21. 2019/202020/21NHS acute trusts£3,435,390,000£5,839,004,000NHS mental health trusts£606,706,000£668,068,000NHS community health trusts£64,215,000£122,280,000 The financial data for 2021/22 is currently being audited and will be published in the Department’s forthcoming Annual Report and Accounts.

Ambulance Services

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total funding for ambulance trusts for the current financial year; and what was the total funding for each of the five preceding years in real terms.

Lord Markham: The following table shows the income received by National Health Service ambulance trusts for healthcare services provided in cash figures and real terms in each year from 2017/18 to 2022/23. The information for 2022/23 is the planned income for the year. Financial yearCash terms £'000Real terms £'0002017/182,465,3892,726,7182018/192,586,9462,810,9202019/202,875,2773,045,0382020/213,491,0053,474,4672021/223,646,0863,646,0862022/23 (Planned)3,584,1573,444,516 Note:The real terms figures are calculated using the Gross Domestic Product deflators published by HM Treasury on 30 September 2022. Figures are in 2021/22 prices.

Ambulance Services: Vacancies

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government what the vacancy rate for ambulance staff was in the most recent period in 2022 for which such information was available; and what was the comparable figure for the same period in 2018.

Lord Markham: This information is not collected in the format requested. However, in June 2022, the vacancy rate for all staff employed in National Health Service ambulance trusts in England was 6.1% and in June 2018, the equivalent vacancy rate was 6.5%.

Department for Education

Adult Education

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support adults who wish to return to education.

Baroness Barran: The department is investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over the Parliamentary session, to ensure that people have access to skills that will help them build a fulfilling career in jobs that the economy needs.The department has transformed apprenticeships, which are available to everyone over the age of 16, driving up the quality of skills and better meeting the skills needs of employers through more flexible training models, along with offering opportunities to individuals to start and progress in their careers. This is why the government is increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25.The department is also investing in re-skilling and up-skilling opportunities, to make sure adults at any age can upskill to reach their potential, transforming lives and delivering on the National Skills Fund commitment. As part of this investment, we have introduced the Free Courses for Jobs scheme, which enables learners without a level 3 qualification, or learners with any qualification level but earning below the National Living Wage, to gain a qualification for free.In addition, learners who want to upskill in their role, who are looking for work or who are changing career can take part in Skills Bootcamps. Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, that give people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with an employer. Skills Bootcamps have the potential to transform the skills landscape for adults and employers.The department is promoting and increasing awareness of our skills provision to learners and employers through the Skills for Life campaign, which targets employers, young people, and adults. Our campaign toolkits provide more information and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/skills-campaign-toolkits.There is continuing investment in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), including £1.34 billion in the 2021/22 academic year. The AEB fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.Currently, approximately 60% of the AEB is devolved to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Mayor of London, acting where appropriate through the Greater London Authority (GLA). Devolution of the AEB gives MCAs and the GLA direct control over adult education provision for their residents, and provides local areas the opportunity to meet local needs.The Education and Skills Funding Agency is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas where colleges, local authorities and other providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their AEB funding to best meet the needs of their communities.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release

Lord Moylan: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people serving anImprisonment for Public Protection sentence are currently on licence in the community, broken down by the number of years since they were first released from custody.

Lord Bellamy: As of June 2022, 3,251 offenders serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence were on licence in the community. The following table shows this figure broken down by the number of years since they were first released from custody*.Table 1: Imprisonment for Public Protection offenders on licence in the community, by the number of years since they were first released from custody, as at 30 June 2022, England and WalesYears since first release from custodyNumber of IPP offenders on licence  Less than 1 year1891 year1732 years1963 years2874 years3195 years3706 years3367 years2858 years3149 years34610 years26311 years10112 years3613 years2014 years1315 years216 years017 years1  Total3251   *Data Caveats:The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.Once 10 years have elapsed since an offender serving an IPP sentence was first released, the Secretary of State will refer the offender to the Parole Board, for the Board to consider whether to terminate the offender’s IPP licence. The Parole Board will then determine whether it is necessary for the protection of the public that the offender remains subject to an IPP licence. If the Parole Board decides not to terminate the offender’s IPP licence, the Secretary of State will re-refer the offender to the Parole Board every 12 months.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Bahrain: Capital Punishment

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 26 October (HL2553)that confirms that they are opposed to the death penalty as part of conducting the Overseas, Security and Justice Assistance assessments for 2020–21, when they sought an assurance from the government of Bahrain that the practice of the death penalty would no longer be carried out.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I refer the noble Lord to my answer to HL2553 on 26 October. https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-10-12/hl2553 The UK's long-standing policy is to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances, in all countries, as a matter of principle, which we have made clear on a regular basis to the Government of Bahrain.

Palestinians: Human Rights

Baroness Sheehan: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UN Special Rapporteur’s Report, Situation of human rights on the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, published on 21 September, with particular reference to the Palestinian right to self-determination and the right of resistance to occupation.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK remains committed to making progress towards a two-state solution, resulting in a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian State; based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, with Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states. We believe that negotiations will only succeed when they are conducted between Israelis and Palestinians, supported by the international community. We will continue to press the parties strongly on the need to refrain from taking actions which make peace more difficult. The UK continues to engage with the Israeli Government on human rights issues in the context of the occupation.

Myanmar: Bombings

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the government of Myanmar following the killing of at least 80 people by military airstrikes in Kachin State.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK condemned the Myanmar military's airstrikes in Kachin State, which killed a large number of civilians. The military's use of indiscriminate airstrikes continues to cause harm and suffering across the country. In response, the British Embassy in Yangon issued a statement with likeminded partners condemning the attacks. Since the coup, we have had no senior bilateral engagement with the military regime, however we continue to publicly call for an end to violence and a need for de-escalation.

Zimbabwe: Crimes of Violence

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Zimbabwe following the attack on Ms Jasmine Toffa, MP for Bulawayo, and other members of the Citizens Coalition for Change, on 18 October.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK closely monitors all cases of political violence in Zimbabwe including that of Jasmine Toffa MP. We regularly raise the issue of political violence with the Government of Zimbabwe.Violence against women is unacceptable. We continue to push for the rights of all citizens to be respected, and for all political parties to be able to campaign peacefully without fear of violence.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Conditions of Employment

Baroness Garden of Frognal: To ask His Majesty's Government how the Ministry of Defence is ensuring that its non-confinement policy is (1) not discriminatory to its workforce, and (2) ensures the greatest available pool of talent is available to serve in demanding roles overseas.

Baroness Goldie: Before a posting, Service personnel are informed by the Ministry of Defence if it is to a non-confinement location, where children are not supportable until 6 months of age. Most personnel are willing to follow this advice and return to the UK. If concerns are expressed, however, Defence Primary Healthcare will work with the Chain of Command to offer the best possible solution on an individual basis. This might include an earlier return to a non-confinement location, after consideration of all the relevant factors.

Armed Forces: Pregnancy

Baroness Garden of Frognal: To ask His Majesty's Government what resources they provide to support pregnant service persons or dependents who are required to return to the UK to have their baby while on an overseas posting, especially if there is no familial network for support.

Baroness Goldie: Pregnant Servicewomen returning to the UK will be the responsibility of a chain of command and managed by a parent unit, having the ability to use welfare facilities provided by that unit, and access welfare support provided by that unit's chain of command.If a pregnant Servicewoman, or spouse of a Service person, is returned to the UK on the advice of medical professionals, travel by an appropriate method will be at public expense. Additionally, the cost of subsistence may be paid for the pregnant woman up to a period of six weeks before, and up to two weeks after the birth. Compassionate leave may be granted by the Commanding Officer of the pregnant Servicewoman, or their serving spouse/civil partner, providing an authorised period of absence to enable them to attend to an immediate domestic crisis.Servicewomen are not entitled under law to Statutory Maternity Leave. However, provision for maternity leave equating to the statutory arrangements is made by the Armed Forces Occupational Maternity Scheme. Additionally, the MOD enables Shared Parental Leave which provides eligible Service personnel who are parents, with a flexible way to share time off work in the first year after their child is born or placed with them for adoption. Defence also offers Service personnel a package of modern Flexible Working opportunities aimed at reducing stress, improving work/life balance, and encouraging continued service through changing circumstances. In return, Flexible Working gives Defence greater agility to deliver its outcomes.

Armed Forces: Pregnancy

Baroness Garden of Frognal: To ask His Majesty's Government what resources they provide to a service person who is serving overseas to visit their pregnant partner or new baby in the UK.

Baroness Goldie: While it is understood that pregnancy and the birth of a baby are exceptionally important events in the life of a Service person, in the absence of medical complications or emergencies Service personnel would be expected to use their standard allocations of leave and travel for travel back to the UK. Known pregnancies are fully considered in the pre-deployment phase to either mitigate the need for the Service person to return home or plan for that eventuality.

Ministry of Defence: Conditions of Employment

Baroness Garden of Frognal: To ask His Majesty's Government what are the reasons for the differences between the non-confinement policies operated by the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, specifically in Kenya; and why the Ministry of Defence is more restrictive.

Baroness Goldie: The criteria for confinement or non-confinement during the pregnancies of Service personnel are based on individual medical assessments. A decision on confinement in any location is based on an assessment of risk, to both the mother and baby, informed by both primary and secondary healthcare experts.For Kenya, specifically, a number of factors are considered. For example, Service personnel in Kenya mainly reside in Nanyuki, which does not provide access to the level of neonatal care equivalent to the NHS. Once born, the child and their supportability must also be considered, including access to specialist emergency care and the risks posed by Yellow Fever and malaria, for which vaccination and chemoprophylaxis respectively are not recommended from birth.

Department for Work and Pensions

Paraquat: Exports

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Benyon on 27 October (HL2481), which countries have been notified by the Health and Safety Executive of the risks connected with exports of the chemical herbicide Paraquat.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The export of paraquat from Great Britain (GB) is regulated under the GB Prior Informed Consent (GB PIC) regulatory regime for the export and import of listed hazardous chemicals. Companies intending to export any of these chemicals from GB must notify the importing country via the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Designated National Authority. GB PIC requires all exports of listed chemicals to be labelled appropriately and accompanied by a safety data sheet (SDS) containing information on the intrinsic hazards of the chemical and on safe storage and use. Where possible, the information on the label and on the SDS must be given in an official language, or in one or more of the principal languages, of the country of destination. In 2021, paraquat was exported from GB to Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa and the USA.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Avian Flu: Disease Control

Lord Randall of Uxbridge: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current state of avian flu in (1) the poultry industry, (2) game birds, and (3) wild birds; and what plans they have to reduce the prevalence and spread of the disease.

Lord Benyon: Outbreaks of avian influenza in both kept and wild birds continue to occur at an unprecedented scale across Europe and the UK with cases continuing to be confirmed into year two of the outbreak for the first time. Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carry out surveillance of disease risks in the UK and around the world to help us assess the impact of current threats such as avian influenza, together with helping anticipate future threats to animal health. As part of this work, and in addition to responding to reports of avian influenza in kept birds, APHA carry out surveillance for avian influenza in wild birds to help us understand how the disease is distributed geographically and in different types of wild bird, and what the risk to poultry including kept game birds and other captive birds is. Defra’s disease control measures seek to contain the number of animals that need to be culled, either for disease control purposes or to safeguard animal welfare. Our approach aims to reduce adverse impacts on the rural and wider economy, the public, rural communities and the environment (including impact on wildlife), whilst protecting public health and minimising the overall cost of any outbreak. All decisions regarding the disease and prevention control measures are based on risk assessments containing the latest scientific veterinary and ornithological advice. APHA’s risk assessments are published and available on GOV.UK through the ‘Animal diseases: international and UK monitoring’ collection and include assessments covering the poultry and gamebird sectors in addition to wild birds. In summary, the risk of incursion of highly pathogenic (HPAI) avian influenza H5 in wild birds in Great Britain is currently assessed as very high (i.e. event occurs almost certainly). The risk to poultry with stringent biosecurity is currently assessed as medium (i.e. event occurs regularly) (with high uncertainty). However, the risk to poultry exposure to HPAI H5 in Great Britain with suboptimal biosecurity is assessed as high (i.e. event occurs very often) (with low uncertainty). Good biosecurity is the essential defence against avian influenza and is key to limiting the spread of avian influenza in kept birds in an outbreak. To help stop the spread of avian influenza in kept birds an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) has been introduced in the UK. Mandatory housing measures are also in force as an additional requirement of the AIPZ in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex. Due to the escalating risk from wild birds nationally mandatory housing measures will be extended to cover the whole of England from 7 November 2022. For areas where an AIPZ is in force it is a legal requirement for all bird keepers (whether they had pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock) to follow strict biosecurity measures to limit the spread of and eradicate the disease, including where mandatory housing measures are a requirement of an AIPZ in force to keep their birds indoors.

High Speed 2 Line: Polymers

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Environment Agency’s decision to allow HS2 workers to use polymers for their work in the Colne Valley and the impact that this decision may have on the drinking water in Hillingdon and Hertfordshire, given the concern that monomer acrylamide can be residually present in the polymers.

Lord Benyon: The Environment Agency (EA) has not approved the use of polyacrylamide as a piling support fluid additive or as a flocculant for waste water treatment activities. Therefore, there is no polyacrylamide source from these activities.The EA has approved the use of polymers in waste treatment activities, in the treatment of slurry spoil from tunnelling. Given that this product is used in treatment of the solid wastes, which have a waste water component that receives further treatment prior to discharge, there is a very low likelihood of carry over into the environment. Furthermore, this discharge is made to surface waters rather than groundwater, greatly reducing the potential risk to the drinking water aquifer. As a result of these assessments, the EA has concluded there is a minimal risk to the water environment from the acrylamide monomer.Where risks are identified that would constitute a potential danger to human health, the EA would inform the relevant water company. Water companies in England have a duty to carry out assessments to identify any risks to the water supply from source to tap and in doing so they are required to consider the relevant activities that occur within the source catchment that may impact water quality. They will assess the quality of raw water sources for any element, organism or substance that they believe may adversely affect the supply and, where necessary, put mitigations in place to protect it.

Electronic Cigarettes: Imports

Lord Randall of Uxbridge: To ask His Majesty's Government why the importers of (1) Elf Bar, and (2) Geek Bar, e-cigarette brands are not on the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment register.

Lord Benyon: The two brands mentioned are not on the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) register because the companies that produce these brands have not registered as EEE producers for this compliance year. The Environment Agency is currently looking into the e-cigarette industry to scope out which legal entities should be obligated as producers under the WEEE regulations.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Social Rented Housing

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to devolving the control of the social rent cap to local government.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Government believes that there is considerable benefit in providing a consistent national framework for calculating maximum rents on Social Rent and Affordable Rent properties, regardless of whether the landlord happens to be local authority or a private registered provider. This framework, although set nationally, takes local factors into account and gives individual social landlords the discretion to set lower rents where they wish to do so.

Treasury

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Self-employment Income Support Scheme

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government what istheir latest estimate of fraud and error from (1) the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and (2) the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).

Baroness Penn: HMRC published the latest estimates for error and fraud in their 2021-22 Annual Reports and Accounts and accompanying Technical Note. In Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) the estimate is 5 per cent, and in Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is 3.6 per cent. This is calculated on the net amounts (total paid out less unprompted repayments) paid to claimants from the start of the schemes to 31 March 2022.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Internet: Safety

Baroness Benjamin: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they expect the duties on user-to-user services created by the Online Safety Bill to apply when services are accessed via a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and the service may not be able to know if the user is located in the UK.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Online Safety Bill will apply to companies which allow users to post content online or to interact with each other, as well as to search services.The Online Safety Bill will ensure that users in the UK are protected. It will apply to any relevant service which is ‘linked to the UK’, no matter where it is based. A service is linked to the UK if it has a significant number of UK users, UK users form a target market, or if it poses a material risk of significant harm to UK individuals.The onus will be on companies to ensure that their systems are sufficiently effective. Ofcom will be able to take robust enforcement action against companies which fail to fulfil their duties.

Internet: Security

Baroness Benjamin: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether it is possible for Internet Service Providers to block access to a website if a user is accessing it using (1) Domain Name System (DNS) overHypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS), or (2) Domain Name System (DNS) over Transport Layer Security (TLS) by, for example, instead relying on Server Name Indication or the Online Certificate Status Protocol.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government takes the introduction of Domain Name System over Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure and over Transport Layer Security seriously, and is concerned about how implementation could affect users’ safety, as well as cybersecurity and the lawful interception of communications. His Majesty’s Government is actively engaging with industry representatives to ensure that it does not cause unintended consequences.

Channel Four Television: Privatisation

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask His Majesty's Government why theyare reviewing the business case for the sale of Channel 4 prior to the conclusions of their review of public service broadcasting.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government is committed to ensuring that the public service broadcasting system can continue to meet the needs of UK audiences, now and in the future.The principal conclusions of the public service broadcasting review were outlined in our broadcasting white paper, Up Next – the Government’s vision for the broadcasting sector, which was published in April this year. The white paper set out that Channel 4 – along with all broadcasters – is facing challenges to its future success and sustainability. This is due to the rapidly evolving media landscape, including unprecedented competition for viewers, programmes and talent from overseas as well as new, rapidly growing streaming platforms.Channel 4 is a great UK success story. In a rapidly changing media landscape, the Government wants it to thrive in the long term while maintaining its distinctiveness. The Secretary of State is reviewing the business case for a sale of Channel 4 and will set out more detail in due course. In doing so, she will be able to draw on the conclusions of the strategic review as set out in the White Paper.